desires to emulate. What is the use then of science, says the artist, and why should I waste my time on the acquisition of that which cannot render me an equiva lent return? Thus most of the artists are in the situation of a land-surveyor, who not long ago was asked what were the best books to read to obtain knowledge of his art. There are none, he replied; the only way to learn it is by becoming apprentice and the good man, on farther examination, did not really know that there had been such a being in nature as Euclid, though he was then employed at a great expence on consider able inclosures. Artists then who catch up only the floating ideas of their art, must be content to grovel on like the land-surveyor: they may produce many pleasing effects in the line in which they have been brought up, but they cannot go beyond their rude instructions; they are merely workmen, and must not aspire, without risque of exposing themselves, to any eminence in their profession.

On the other hand, the artist who could not stir without rule or compass, must evidently be as incapable of producing a work of genius. There are limits of ignorance and exactness, within which his sphere of action is confined; and to know them well is a great acquisition. Numbers transgress daily the common rules of perspective, because they have considered them as unnecessary to their art, and the first acquisition of them has appeared difficult. To prescribe the reading of Euclid to the young Apelles, would appear a task insupportable; yet if an hour of a day for the first year of his professional life, from fifteen to sixteen, was employed in this study, he would find it a very easy matter, and for ever after be sensible of the benefits derived from this easy study.

The author of this work, a very valuable work to every young artist, is sensible of the propriety of this advice. Perspective cannot be understood with cut a knowledge of angles, lines, and surfaces. He dedicates a few pages to this knowledge; but the student who enters upon the study of the other parts of his work, with a complete knowledge derived from Euclid's eleventh book of the properties of planes, will feel no embarrassments in understanding every principle laid down in the theory of perspective. They who are content with the ruler and the compass, and the mere direction how to use them, feel no confi

dence in a difficult operation, compared with those who see the grounds of each process, and are able to demonstrate the truth of every thing they are about to perform.

The work is entirely practical, and derived from the best work written upon the subject, which every body knows to have proceeded from Dr. Brook Taylor. After explaining and defining, in an easy manner, the principal terms in the art, it lays the basis properly in the elucidation of a square and a cube, and thence proceeds in an easy and gradual manner through more complicated and difficult figures. The measurements are in ge neral well laid down, and the young stu dent in the academy who will take his rule and compasses, and copy, on a scale of his own, every figure in this work, which he may, with very little interruption to his other pursuits, perform in the course of a couple of years, will find at the end of that time that he has obtained an accuracy of knowledge of inestimable use to him in his future career.

We recommend particularly to his attention the discourse at the end of the work, a discourse replete with information, and from which painter, sculptor, and architect may derive much useful information. It is singular that the study of perspective should be so much neglected by the latter; but there are reasons in the following extract to convince him of his error, in neglecting so important a study.

"The architect should always be possessed of the science of perspective, and that in no be enabled to determine with himself, and to trifling degree; for by its assistance he will demonstrate to others, the future effects of his designs and drawings, whenever he is employed to erect buildings.

"But the practice of making geometrical or orthographical drawings, is by custom so firmly established among thearchi tects, that little hope can be entertained of introducing any other mode of drawing their designs. Yet, in consequence of this general practice, many able men have found themselves deceived when they saw those designs executed; while their disappointment was no more than a natural effect of the established prac tice: for in the orthographical or geometrical drawings, all the parts are described equally prominent and visible, as well those which building, the parts which recede will appear recede as those which project; but in the lower than those which project; they will even be sometimes concealed, if viewed from certain points; which circumstance leads to another observation, that will encourage the

architect in the practice and study of perspective.

"All public buildings, particularly those in towns, are generally placed on some particular spot or situation; consequently they can be seen only from particular stations. The architect will therefore do well to examine and consider those stations or points of view from which his building will be seen, and then conduct the design of the exterior elevation of his edifice accordingly. Yet all the precaution here recommended will be useless to him, who does not understand perspective, or who will not practise it.

"It may be objected that making perspective drawings would be attended with too much trouble, and be inconvenient to the workman; because he could not, without equal skill in the science, be able to find out the measures of the parts by the scale; but this objection will vanish, when it is observed, that in the composition of great works every method should be practised which can ensure success: and that the making some additional sketches or drawings in perspective, although the minute parts are not determined by the absolute rules, will be sufficient; especially, if those sketches are of the parts of

which there may be any doubt concerning their future effect; and in many cases this will save the expence of a model. Another strong recommendation to this practice is, that an architect labours under à disadvantage not known to the painter, which is, that he cannot alter or correct his works after they are finished; and therefore it is more particularly incumbent on him to guard against errors or mistakes by all the means in his power.

But should the advice here given be slighted, in what relates to the designs being drawn perspectively, yet let the architect be assured, that he who is master of the science will possess resources by which he will be enabled to dispose particular parts of his buildings with such art, as may produce very striking and uncommon effects. It is true, that there are no examples of such artificial effects to be seen in this country, and but few in others, except in theatres. Yet such are by no means impracticable; therefore this hint is offered, which may be greatly improv ed by the skilful architect, who is master of perspective; but which will be useless to him who is ignorant of it."

AMONG the numerous excellent books that have been composed within the last thirty years for the use of young persons, there is not one which has succeeded in giving a familiar description of the appearances of the heavens, and the fundamental truths of astronomy.This deficiency is at length supplied by the work before us, which is admirably well adapted to interest young persons in the changes that are constantly taking place among the heavenly bodies, and to familiarise them with many curious and important phenomena, of which numbers even of well educated people, for want of so skilful and scientific a guide, are almost wholly ignorant.

We select the following paragraph as a specimen of the manner in which Mr. Frend has executed his design.

"On the twenty-third at sun-set the moon appears in the eastern part of the heavens, and near to it a bright star, which is the second star in the Bull, being between one and two degrees to the north-west of her. At half past five the three stars in the Ram are on the meridian, at a quarter past seven the Pleiades are on the meridian, at eight Aldebaran, and 8

at a quarter past nine the Moon, when the most beautiful constellation in the heavens the observer will be gratified with an effulis to be discovered also on the meridian, and

gence,

tion of diamonds bears no comparison. Carry your eye down frotn the Moon, in the direction of the meridian, about twenty-six degrees, and three bright stars in a line, at the distance of about a degree between the two adjacent ones, will arrest your attention. These three stars now cross the meridian line in the direction nearly from south-east to north-west, and below them are three more stars of smaller magnitude, in the direction of the meridian. The first three stars are called the Belt, the three smaller stars are called the Sword of Orion; the constellation, to which they belong, taking its name from a fabulous hero of ancient times. In the meridian, about ten degrees above the first star in the Belt, are three small stars, which are in the head of Orion, and about five degrees to the south-east of these three stars, is a star brighter than any other star in this constellation, which is the first star of Orion, or the star in his right shoulder: and about four degrees to the south-west is the third star of Orion, or the star in his left shoulder. About nine degrees to the south-west of the middle star in the Belt, is the second star of Onion, or

with which the most brilliant collec

star in his left foot. When your curiosity is sufficiently gratified with the singular position and beauty of the Belt and Sword, and brightness of the first, second, and third stars of Orion, an effulgence, to the south-east of the Belt, and about twenty-three degrees from the

middle star of the Belt, cannot fail of striking you with wonder and pleasure. This is the most brilliant of the fixed stars, and is called Sirius, or the first star of the Great Dog. At present its position and brilliancy, hereafter its history, will excite your attention."

ANN. REV. VOL. II.

3 H

ed from our view by shelving rocks and aquatic plants. In fact we know little of such as are most familar to us, besides their external form, their inward structure, the arts which are employed to effect their destruction, and the gratification which they give to us when they are served up at our tables. How little, then, can we even hope to learn concerning the numerous kinds which are natives of the ocean! The present volume affords a proof, that some of them constantly remain at its bottom, and can never become known to the naturalist, if they do not happen to be gorged by ravenous individuals of other kinds, and if those individuals do not rise to the surface and become the spoil of the fisherman before they have digested their own prey.

Still, however, it is desirable that all which is actually known concerning them should be presented to us in a scientific form, and adorned with the graces of composition, as far as the nature of the subject will admit. Within the space of less than half a century, our acquaintance with nature has, indeed, been won derfully increased by the means of numerous voyages and travels to almost every part of the globe, made by professed naturalists, who have taken with them equal capacity to distinguish and curiosity to explore. The discoveries and observations of these, Dr. Shaw has collected with his usual diligence and exactness; nor has he neglected to consult the writings of the best compilers and arrangers. To the Count Cepede and Dr. Bloch he has been much indebted, and has made some happy alterations and improvements from the suggestions of his own experienced judgment. The present volume, which like each of the former three, inconveniently consists of two distinct, and in the present case, very unequal segments, contains the natural history of the apcdal, the jugular, and the thoracic fishes. The next volume, which is to be published early in the spring of 1804, will contain the abdominal and the cartilaginous ones, and will complete this part of the work.

The detail of the several genera in each order, and species in each genus, is preceded by a general description of the external and internal parts of fishes, chiefly taken from the works of Dr. Monro. It is drawn up with distinctness and precision: but we cannot help expressing a wish, that for the sake of general readers, the anatomical terms

had been a little more familiarly explained. This introduction might also have been extended with advantage to an account of such peculiarities in the general economy and manners of fishes as have been sufficiently ascertained. For though it must be confessed that comparatively little is yet known concerning them, it is certain that much more might have been collected than is to be found in the present work. Dr. Shaw's Zoology has acquired a popular reputation which it will not support, if it do not unite entertainment with instruction, and please as much by the variety, as by the accuracy of its information." The account of the three principal, and as it should seem only acute organs of sense in this part of the animal creation will give general satisfaction.

"The organ of smelling is large, and the animals have a power of contracting and dilating the entry to it as they have occasion: it seems to be mostly by their acute smell that they discover their food, for their tongue seems not to have been designed for a very nice sensation, being of a pretty firm cartilaginous substance; and common experience evinces that their sight is not of so much use to them as their smell, in searching for their nourishment. If you throw a fresh worm into the water, a fish shall distinguish it at a considerable distance; and that this is not done by the eye is plain, from observing that after the same worm has been a considerable time in the water, and lost its smell, no fishes will come near it, but if you take out the bait, and make several little incisions into it, so as to let out more of the odoriferous effluvia, it shall have the same effect as formerly. Now it is certain that had the animals discovered this bait with their eyes, they would have come equally to it in both

cases.

In consequence of their smell being the principal means they have of discovering their food, we may frequently observe them allowing themselves to be carried down with the stream, that they may ascend again leisurely against the current of the water; thus the odoriferous particles swimming in that medium, being applied more forcibly to their organ of smell, produce a stronger sensation. The optic nerves in fishes are not confounded with one another in their middle progress betwixt their origin and the orbit, but the one passes over the other without any communication;